Homers back Pawtucket's comeback victory

7/25 Cup of Coffee: Only four teams were in action on Sunday, with the PawSox and Sea Dogs finding the winners column, while Greenville and Lowell struggled to contain their opponent’s offense.

Pawtucket took their third game in a row over the Buffalo Bisons (NYM) by rallying for a 7-6 victory. Jeremy Kehrt received the start for the PawSox, tossing 4.0 innings, allowing 3 unearned runs on 3 hits and a walk while striking out 3. Clevelan Santeliz added 2.0 innings of relief, allowing 1 run on 1 hit and 3 walks, striking out 1. Hideki Okajima picked up his sixth victory of the year for his 2.0 innings out of the bullpen, allowing 2 runs on 2 hits and a walk while striking out 1. Jason Rice notched his fourth save for a scoreless ninth inning, allowing 2 walks and striking out a pair. With the game scoreless in the second, Tony Thomas laced a two run home run to put Pawtucket on top, 2-0. Luis Exposito’s solo home run in the fourth tied the game, 3-3. After Buffalo took a 4-3 lead in the sixth, Daniel Nava’s RBI single in the seventh tied the contest once again, 4-4. The Bisons scored two in the eighth inning to take a 6-4 advantage to the ninth. Pawtucket, in need of two runs to tie, received a Nava sacrifice fly and a two run home run by Lars Anderson to pull ahead, 7-6. Rice shut the door in the ninth, despite allowing the Bisons to get a runner in scoring position. Exposito and Nate Spears each had 3 hits to lead the PawSox offense.

Portland’s offense was in high gear on Sunday as they crushed the New Hampshire Fisher Cats (TOR), 11-1. Junichi Tazawa had a very encouraging start, hurling 4.0 innings, allowing 1 run on 1 hit and 2 walks while striking out 4. Charle Rosario added 3.0 hitless innings of relief, allowing 1 walk and striking out 4. Eammon Portice finished off the game for the Sea Dogs, twirling 2.0 shutout innings, allowing 1 hit and striking out 2. A costly error by the Fisher Cats shortstop allowed the Sea Dogs to plate the first run of the contest in the second inning, giving Portland a 1-0 lead. A Mark Wagner sacrifice fly and Mitch Dening RBI single tacked on two more runs for the Sea Dogs in the third. Heiker Meneses laced an RBI single in the fourth to give Portland a 4-0 lead. In the sixth, a Chih-Hsien Chiang RBI single and a Will Middlebrooks RBI groundout extended the Sea Dogs advantage to 6-0. A five run seventh inning by Portland featured a Jeremy Hazelbaker RBI single, Chiang bases loaded walk, Middlebrooks RBI single and two runs that scored on an error by the Fisher Cats pitcher. Every member of the Sea Dogs lineup reached base at least once, with the team compiling 14 hits in total.

Greenville’s offense was quieted in a 7-2 loss to the Hagerstown Suns (WAS). Brandon Workman picked up the loss for the Drive, going 6.0 innings, allowing 3 runs on 4 hits and 2 walks, striking out 6. Juan Rodriguez added an inning of relief, allowing 2 runs on 3 hits and 2 walks. Dennis Neuman also contributed an inning out of the bullpen, allowing 2 runs on 3 hits. Greenville’s lone runs of the contest came in the seventh, thanks to an error by the Hagerstown third baseman and a sacrifice fly by Xander Bogaerts. The Drive had just three hits in the loss.

A late rally was not enough to overcome a poor start as Lowell fell to the Auburn Doubledays (WAS), 8-4. Jason Garcia was torched in his 1.2 innings of work, allowing 6 runs on 3 hits and 4 walks, striking out 2. Hunter Cervenka followed Garcia with 3.1 innings of relief, allowing 1 run on 3 hits and 2 walks while striking out 4. Swen Huijer contributed 3.0 innings out of the bullpen, allowing 1 run on 3 hits while striking out 1. Michael McCarthy hurled a scoreless inning of relief, allowing 1 hit and striking out 2. Down 8-0 in the seventh, Lowell rallied for four runs on a Moko Moanaroa 3-RBI double and a Boss Moanaroa bases loaded walk. The Spinners were quiet the remaining two innings to suffer the defeat. Lowell was just 1 for 10 with runners in scoring position, being hurt by two double plays off the bat of Travis Shaw.

Player of the Night: Luis Exposito, who was 3 for 5 with a run scored, home run and RBI in Pawtucket’s 7-6 victory over Buffalo.

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